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"The hardest part about working at Shibuya Psychic Research?" I repeated, watching as the interviewer's pen never left her pad, thinking not for the first time how bad an idea this was.   I mean, why couldn't Naru or Lin have been interviewed?  It's their organization, isn't it?  I just make the tea!  Well… That is, apart from the occasional dream…  I swallowed.  Was I allowed to talk about that?  They hadn't really given me much notice here.  And they're always so secretive!  How am I supposed to know what's cool to share with this woman and what isn't?  I sighed.

"Do you need me to repeat the question?" The interviewer---from a magazine I wasn't familiar with---finally looked up at me, the demeaning, almost bored look in her eyes reminding me a little of Ayako.  I smiled at the woman, glaring internally.

"Oh no, of course not!"  I laughed, wanting, again not for the first time, for this interview to be over.  "The hardest thing…" I put a finger to my chin, deciding on what to say.  If Naru was going to force me into this, the least I could do was be honest.  "I guess the dreams can be pretty hard sometimes.  Not to mention scary."  I laughed nervously, scratching at the back of my neck and waiting for the woman to finish writing that down. Oh well.  No taking it back now.

"Explain to me a little more about these dreams." She went on suddenly, all business it seemed.  I cleared my throat.

"Um, usually it depends on the case, I guess." I looked down at my hands.  "Sometimes it's places, spirits, clues about the case that everyone usually helps me figure out.  But other times…"  I tightened my hands into fists on my knees.  "I'll dream about someone who's been killed.  A ghost in the house we're covering or something.  Sometimes I have to watch them die.  And sometimes," I closed my eyes, images of being strapped to a blood-soaked table, a blade to my throat, still fresh in my mind even after so long.  "Sometimes I experience it."

"I see," Was all the woman said, scribbling away.  That's all she has to say about it?  I see?!  It's freaking terrifying!  "It says here that you're not only a latent psychic, as you've described, but also a practicing astral projectionist.  Is this true?"  She went on before I couldn't mental rant further.

"It does?" I asked, surprised.  Well that was unexpected... Where did she get her information from?  She just stared at me, waiting, so I cleared my throat.  "Uh, yeah, I guess."  I replied, unconsciously reaching for the key sitting in its usual place in my pocket, the image of placing it in Masako's hand passing through my mind.

"Is this a new talent?"

I nodded.  I hadn't done it since, and as far as I knew, I hadn't astral projected before that case either.  The woman wrote that down too, a silence lingering that made me uncomfortable.  Not like this whole thing isn't uncomfortable, or anything.

"So tell me about your experiences working with this rather… eclectic group of spiritualists."  The woman went on without warning.  I blushed.  I hated myself for it instantly, but I did, clearing my throat yet again before answering.

"Well, Monk," I started, smiling as I corrected myself.  "I mean, Takigawa is great.  He's kind and fun and he's really good at what he does.  He's saved my life more than once.  John is so sweet and adorable and an incredible exorcist for how young he is.  Oh, and Ayako!  She's a little aggravating at first, but when you get to know her, she's a great friend.  And strong too, though she doesn't really seem it sometimes."   I laughed.  "And Masako's really talented.  Annoying mostly, but she can be cool too, and we're pretty lucky to have her help most of the time."  I paused, remembering someone.  "I don't know if he counts, technically, but there's also Yasu." I went on, feeling bad for almost leaving him out.  "He's not a spiritualist, and he only comes to help us every now and then, but he's always a big help.  And he's so much fun to be around.  He really made an impression when we worked a case at his school."

"And the founders themselves?"

"Well, Lin is pretty quiet," I continued.   "But he cares about Naru a lot, and he seriously knows what he's doing.  I wish he'd talk to me a little more, but he's actually surprisingly sweet.  He's just all business sometimes.  And Naru-"

"Naru?"  She cut me off with a tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow.

I blinked, blushing brighter.  "Oh right!" I giggled.  "That's the nickname I gave Kazuya when I met him.  Naru the Narcissist."

"I see."  At this, the woman smirked, eyeing me briefly before jotting something down.  "So he's difficult to work with?"

"Sometimes," I admitted.  "But we'd be lost without him.  If I'm being honest, he has every right to be as egotistical and confident as he is.  I forget sometimes that he's only two year older than me.  He just acts so much older, you know?  The way he speaks and the way he dresses."  I stopped, an image of him from my dreams, those secret moments where he'd guided me to things I needed to know.  Showing me smiles he never wore in real life.  "I just wish he'd smile more." I heard the whisper escape me before I could stop myself.  I looked down, hoping the interviewer hadn't heard.

"Mhmm," She nodded, grinning.  "Are you possibly in love with Mr. Shibuya, Miss Taniyama?"

I blanched, shooting up out of my seat.  "What?!"

The interviewer smirked again, putting her pen and pad into her purse and getting to her feet.  "Thank you for your time.  I have everything I need for the article, I think."  She reached out to shake my hand and I took it hesitantly, still in shock, my heart about to leap out of my chest.  I watched her leave in silence.

Where the hell did THAT come from?

"Are you done, Mai?"

I jumped at the sound of Naru's voice, not even realizing he'd come into the room.  "Uh, yeah!  She, uh… She just left."

"How did it go?" He asked, eyes all stoic as usual, voice borderline disinterested.  I blushed anyway, looking away, unable o get the woman's final question out of my head.  If it was possible for my face to stain from blushing too brightly, it probably would have.

"F-Fine." I stammered, turning away from him and rushing towards the kitchen.  "It went fine.  I'll go get us some tea."  As I disappeared around the corner, I could have been imagining it, but I swore I heard him chuckle.

Of course… That would be ridiculous.

Description
"The hardest part about working at Shibuya Psychic Research?" I repeated, watching as the interviewer's pen never left her pad, thinking not for the first time how bad an idea this was.   I mean, why couldn't Naru or Lin have been interviewed?  It's their organization, isn't it?  I just make the tea!  Well… That is, apart from the occasional dream…  I swallowed.  Was I allowed to talk about that?  They hadn't really given me much notice here.  And they're always so secretive!  How am I supposed to know what's cool to share with this woman and what isn't?  I sighed.

"Do you need me to repeat the question?" The interviewer---from a magazine I wasn't familiar with---finally looked up at me, the demeaning, almost bored look in her eyes reminding me a little of Ayako.  I smiled at the woman, glaring internally.

"Oh no, of course not!"  I laughed, wanting, again not for the first time, for this interview to be over.  "The hardest thing…" I put a finger to my chin, deciding on what to say.  If Naru was going to force me into this, the least I could do was be honest.  "I guess the dreams can be pretty hard sometimes.  Not to mention scary."  I laughed nervously, scratching at the back of my neck and waiting for the woman to finish writing that down. Oh well.  No taking it back now.

"Explain to me a little more about these dreams." She went on suddenly, all business it seemed.  I cleared my throat.

"Um, usually it depends on the case, I guess." I looked down at my hands.  "Sometimes it's places, spirits, clues about the case that everyone usually helps me figure out.  But other times…"  I tightened my hands into fists on my knees.  "I'll dream about someone who's been killed.  A ghost in the house we're covering or something.  Sometimes I have to watch them die.  And sometimes," I closed my eyes, images of being strapped to a blood-soaked table, a blade to my throat, still fresh in my mind even after so long.  "Sometimes I experience it."

"I see," Was all the woman said, scribbling away.  That's all she has to say about it?  I see?!  It's freaking terrifying!  "It says here that you're not only a latent psychic, as you've described, but also a practicing astral projectionist.  Is this true?"  She went on before I couldn't mental rant further.

"It does?" I asked, surprised.  Well that was unexpected... Where did she get her information from?  She just stared at me, waiting, so I cleared my throat.  "Uh, yeah, I guess."  I replied, unconsciously reaching for the key sitting in its usual place in my pocket, the image of placing it in Masako's hand passing through my mind.

"Is this a new talent?"

I nodded.  I hadn't done it since, and as far as I knew, I hadn't astral projected before that case either.  The woman wrote that down too, a silence lingering that made me uncomfortable.  Not like this whole thing isn't uncomfortable, or anything.

"So tell me about your experiences working with this rather… eclectic group of spiritualists."  The woman went on without warning.  I blushed.  I hated myself for it instantly, but I did, clearing my throat yet again before answering.

"Well, Monk," I started, smiling as I corrected myself.  "I mean, Takigawa is great.  He's kind and fun and he's really good at what he does.  He's saved my life more than once.  John is so sweet and adorable and an incredible exorcist for how young he is.  Oh, and Ayako!  She's a little aggravating at first, but when you get to know her, she's a great friend.  And strong too, though she doesn't really seem it sometimes."   I laughed.  "And Masako's really talented.  Annoying mostly, but she can be cool too, and we're pretty lucky to have her help most of the time."  I paused, remembering someone.  "I don't know if he counts, technically, but there's also Yasu." I went on, feeling bad for almost leaving him out.  "He's not a spiritualist, and he only comes to help us every now and then, but he's always a big help.  And he's so much fun to be around.  He really made an impression when we worked a case at his school."

"And the founders themselves?"

"Well, Lin is pretty quiet," I continued.   "But he cares about Naru a lot, and he seriously knows what he's doing.  I wish he'd talk to me a little more, but he's actually surprisingly sweet.  He's just all business sometimes.  And Naru-"

"Naru?"  She cut me off with a tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow.

I blinked, blushing brighter.  "Oh right!" I giggled.  "That's the nickname I gave Kazuya when I met him.  Naru the Narcissist."

"I see."  At this, the woman smirked, eyeing me briefly before jotting something down.  "So he's difficult to work with?"

"Sometimes," I admitted.  "But we'd be lost without him.  If I'm being honest, he has every right to be as egotistical and confident as he is.  I forget sometimes that he's only two year older than me.  He just acts so much older, you know?  The way he speaks and the way he dresses."  I stopped, an image of him from my dreams, those secret moments where he'd guided me to things I needed to know.  Showing me smiles he never wore in real life.  "I just wish he'd smile more." I heard the whisper escape me before I could stop myself.  I looked down, hoping the interviewer hadn't heard.

"Mhmm," She nodded, grinning.  "Are you possibly in love with Mr. Shibuya, Miss Taniyama?"

I blanched, shooting up out of my seat.  "What?!"

The interviewer smirked again, putting her pen and pad into her purse and getting to her feet.  "Thank you for your time.  I have everything I need for the article, I think."  She reached out to shake my hand and I took it hesitantly, still in shock, my heart about to leap out of my chest.  I watched her leave in silence.

Where the hell did THAT come from?

"Are you done, Mai?"

I jumped at the sound of Naru's voice, not even realizing he'd come into the room.  "Uh, yeah!  She, uh… She just left."

"How did it go?" He asked, eyes all stoic as usual, voice borderline disinterested.  I blushed anyway, looking away, unable o get the woman's final question out of my head.  If it was possible for my face to stain from blushing too brightly, it probably would have.

"F-Fine." I stammered, turning away from him and rushing towards the kitchen.  "It went fine.  I'll go get us some tea."  As I disappeared around the corner, I could have been imagining it, but I swore I heard him chuckle.

Of course… That would be ridiculous.